I hope the Niners trade Alex Smith rather than release him - what pick(s) they can get for him is almost irrelevant the point is I hope the Niners (a) get something for him in draft picks and (b) control his destination (i.e. don't let him end up in Arizona and give him two divisional games against the Niners each year!)

Again, Alex in Arizona would be a huge mistake - on Alex's part. I don't get why some of you are scared for him to go there. He isn't a QB that's going to torch us.

Originally posted by British9er:
I hope the Niners trade Alex Smith rather than release him - what pick(s) they can get for him is almost irrelevant the point is I hope the Niners (a) get something for him in draft picks and (b) control his destination (i.e. don't let him end up in Arizona and give him two divisional games against the Niners each year!)

Again, Alex in Arizona would be a huge mistake - on Alex's part. I don't get why some of you are scared for him to go there. He isn't a QB that's going to torch us.

with a receiver of the caliber of larry fitgerald i think he could very well torch the niners

First off, the 49ers certainly can hold on to Alex Smith in 2013. They were planning on doing it when they signed him in the first place as their starting QB. If they choose to release him, they get an advantage of spending next to nothing salary capwise on the QB position, and they can use that money to keep another player like Dashon Goldson. The 49ers have to decide if they want a 2nd round pick or Dashon Goldson. My guess is they would prefer Dashon, and will choose to release Alex Smith, barring a trade. But they certainly could talk up keeping Alex Smith, and it would be believable.

The problem for Alex Smith is he is viewed in the league as a good "Kyle Orton". Not as a Jay Cutler. Alex Smith is viewed as reaching his potential, which is not elite. Most GMs prefer to swing for the fence, it appears, and get some young player that has lots of potential, even though they are nowhere near Alex Smith's current skills. Jay Cutler fell into that category, having had only 1 good year. So even though Alex Smith in my mind, is worth multiple firsts, it does appear that a 2nd round pick is more likely. And if a team decides that they prefer to gamble and see if the 49ers cut Alex Smith, then that pushes the price down even more.

As with any new HC taking over, expect significant changes. The biggest of these changes could be at QB, where Ryan Fitzpatrick hasn't lived up to the massive contract he received during the course of the 2011 campaign. With Tyler Thigpen and Tarvaris Jackson both hitting free agency this offseason, there will be some new faces in town, and that could include someone from both the veteran and draft pools. The group of impending free agents isn't too impressive; however, there are some captivating names that could be available this offseason following a release by their current team or as a trade target, such as Michael Vick, Alex Smith and Matt Flynn. Vick was reportedly on the Bills' radar as a free agent back in 2009, though it's unclear if the change to Marrone will alter the club's viewpoint on the southpaw.

In the draft, the name that we'll hear incessantly linked to the Bills up until he's selected is Syracuse QB Ryan Nassib, for obvious reasons. In theory, Nassib could have a leg up on any other passers -- he'd know Marrone's offense, much like Ryan Tannehill already knew Mike Sherman's offense in Miami this past season. It would be foolish for the Bills to reach for Nassib, but if he's there for them in a logical spot, they'd be foolish to pass.

I hope the Niners trade Alex Smith rather than release him - what pick(s) they can get for him is almost irrelevant the point is I hope the Niners (a) get something for him in draft picks and (b) control his destination (i.e. don't let him end up in Arizona and give him two divisional games against the Niners each year!)

Again, Alex in Arizona would be a huge mistake - on Alex's part. I don't get why some of you are scared for him to go there. He isn't a QB that's going to torch us.

with a receiver of the caliber of larry fitgerald i think he could very well torch the niners

Originally posted by British9er:
I hope the Niners trade Alex Smith rather than release him - what pick(s) they can get for him is almost irrelevant the point is I hope the Niners (a) get something for him in draft picks and (b) control his destination (i.e. don't let him end up in Arizona and give him two divisional games against the Niners each year!)

Again, Alex in Arizona would be a huge mistake - on Alex's part. I don't get why some of you are scared for him to go there. He isn't a QB that's going to torch us.

with a receiver of the caliber of larry fitgerald i think he could very well torch the niners

Please. The QBs they have now are more willing to force it to Fitzgerald than Alex would be. Not to mention he won't have any time to wait for Fitzgerald to become open with their O-Line being the worst in the league. Not gonna happen.

Originally posted by fryet:
First off, the 49ers certainly can hold on to Alex Smith in 2013. They were planning on doing it when they signed him in the first place as their starting QB. If they choose to release him, they get an advantage of spending next to nothing salary capwise on the QB position

They were obviously not planning on keeping him around, which would explain the fact that the contract they gave him allows them to get rid of him after the first year without taking a big cap hit. Or did you think that was merely a coincidence?

Originally posted by fryet:
First off, the 49ers certainly can hold on to Alex Smith in 2013. They were planning on doing it when they signed him in the first place as their starting QB. If they choose to release him, they get an advantage of spending next to nothing salary capwise on the QB position

They were obviously not planning on keeping him around, which would explain the fact that the contract they gave him allows them to get rid of him after the first year without taking a big cap hit. Or did you think that was merely a coincidence?

Originally posted by fryet:
First off, the 49ers certainly can hold on to Alex Smith in 2013. They were planning on doing it when they signed him in the first place as their starting QB. If they choose to release him, they get an advantage of spending next to nothing salary capwise on the QB position

They were obviously not planning on keeping him around, which would explain the fact that the contract they gave him allows them to get rid of him after the first year without taking a big cap hit. Or did you think that was merely a coincidence?

It was smart planning in case Kaep panned out.

Smart in case he didn't... Hoping Aj is the next guy to step up. LMJ looks like the real deal

First off, the 49ers certainly can hold on to Alex Smith in 2013. They were planning on doing it when they signed him in the first place as their starting QB. If they choose to release him, they get an advantage of spending next to nothing salary capwise on the QB position

They were obviously not planning on keeping him around, which would explain the fact that the contract they gave him allows them to get rid of him after the first year without taking a big cap hit. Or did you think that was merely a coincidence?

It was smart planning in case Kaep panned out.

It was definitely smart planning because Harbaugh was clearly just waiting for Kaepernick to be ready to take over. I said this when Alex's deal was announced. It was obvious to me and I pointed that out at the time. Some refused to believe it or admit it. It's even more obvious now. This was Harbaugh's intention all along.

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